Speaking tube and viewer



F,G,TAPPE SPEAKING TUBE AND VIEWR Filed Oct. l5, 1945 tig;

OOQL@ OO O ' @fw/wm.- f/i Wi Patented Nov. 22, 1949 blatt@ SPEAKING TUBE AND VIEWER Frank Georg Tapp, Oslo, Norway Application October 15, 1945, Serial No. 622,402 In Norway March 6, 1945 2 Claims. (Cl. 181-22) The present invention relates to improvements in peep-holes for doors. It is common practice to arrange peep-holes in doors, especially those in the main entrance door, for the purpose of making it possible from the inside of the door to view a person standing at the outside of the door Without necessitating the opening of the door. Such peep-holes are furthermore usually constructed in such a way that it is not easy for a person on the outside to peep into the room in order to see the person on the inside of the door.

In such peep-holes it is common to arrange a lens or something of that kind, whereby there is no direct opening between the outside and the inside of the door. It is thus commonly not possible to speak through the peep-hole, and even if one should remove the lens or the glass in the peep-hole, it is very impracticable to speak through the said hole to the person outside, due to the fact that the person on the inside of the door cannot simultaneously peep through the same and speak through the same. It may, however, in many cases be of interest to be able to do so.

The object of the present invention is to make such improvements in peep-holes in doors that it is possible for a person to peep through the door at the same time as he can speak through the door without difficulty. The object is according to the invention primarily met by means of sound-conveying means on the inside of the door to a lower elevation than the peep-hole.

The distance between the peep-hole and the termination of the sound-conveying means is generally chosen with a length corresponding to the normal length between the eye and the mouth on an average person. For that reason a person peeping through the hole may talk standing in this position, and the sound will be conveyed to the outside of the door to be heard by the person standing there.

It is not necessary to have corresponding means on the outside of the door, due to the fact that it is not intended that the person on the outside of the door shall be able to peep through the same. However, this person can conveniently and intentionally speak through the peep-hole without being able to peep through the same.

The sound-conveying connection between the peep-hole in the door and the lower region may be embedded in the door proper; but according to a preferred embodiment of this invention the sound-conveying means is constructed as a channel which is attached to the door on the surface of the inside of the same.

The invention comprises a number of further features which will appear from the following description in connection with the appended drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a vertical cross section through the construction according to the invention.

Fig. 2 shows the construction seen from the inside of the door.

In the drawing, I denotes the door in which a hole 2 is arranged in suitable elevation. This hole is formed conically with a larger diameter on the outside of the door. In the hole 2 a funnelshaped metal lining 3 is arranged.

4 represents the channel which is attached to the door on the inside of the same. It is formed like a vertically mounted semi-cylindrical body, both ends of which are closed.

At the same elevation as the hole 2 there are on the inside of the body 4 a number of small openings 5; furthermore there is at some distance below arranged a number of similar openings 6. On the inside of the channel there is further arranged a shutter 1 which is somewhat shorter than the channel proper. In this shutter an opening 8 is provided at some distance below the upper end of the same. At the lower end, the shutter is provided with a handle 9 which is carried out through the channel through a suitable opening at the bottom of the channel t, and at the lower end of the handle 9 a bent section I0 is provided.

The apparatus according to the invention is worked as follows:

When the apparatus is out of use, the shutter 1 will take the position shown in the drawing. In this position, the opening 5 as well as the opening S are covered in such a way that no underside draught can enter through the hole. When the apparatus is to be used, the handle 9 is lifted, whereby the opening B will correspond with the opening 5, simultaneously as the opening 6 will come below the lower edge of the shutter which is thereby being opened. With the shutter in this position, a person on the inside of the door may peep through the holes 5 and the hole 2 and may at the same time talk through the holes 6, whereby the sound is conveyed through the channel and through the hole 2 to the outside of the door. Due to the fact that a number of small openings 5 are arranged in the curved surface of the channel il, in combina tion with the fact that the hole 2 is conically shaped with the largest diameter on the outside,

3 a wide range of sight is provided. By making each of the openings 5 of a comparatively small diameter, it is at the same time secured that the person on the outside of the door is unable to view the person on the inside of the same.

The openings 6 are arranged in such an elevation that the person who is peeping through the holes 5 normally will have his mouth about in line with the openings 6. If the said person talks to the person on the outside of the door, the sound from his mouth will be conveyed through the openings 6 and through the channel and the hole 2 in such a way that the sound clearly will be transmitted to the outside of the door. The person on the outside of the door on the other hand, may be able to talk into the hole 2, and the sound will be conveyed in the opposite direction and will be hearable on the inside of the door.

When the apparatus is not to be used, the shutter 1 is allowed to fall by the force of gravity down to the normal position, whereby the holes 5 as well as the holes B will be closed.

The invention is not bound to the construction which is actually shown in the drawing. As a1- ready mentioned at the beginning of the description, the sound conveying means may be arranged within the door proper. Furthermore one may instead oi a number of openings 5, arrange one or more lenses in the peep hole as known in the art. Furthermore, the channel 4 may have special openings serving to convey the sound from the outside to the inside, and the shutter 'l may be provided with means for holding it in the upper, i. e. the open position.

I claim:

1. An interviewer for doors having an aperture therein comprising a hollow channel member and secured to the inner side of said door over said aperture, said channel member having an upper opening and a lower opening, said upper opening registering with said aperture in said door for looking through said door, said lower opening being in voice communication with said aperture in said door through said hollow channel member, a shutter slidably mounted in said channel and having an opening therein adapted to register with said upper opening in said chal e1 member when said shutter is raised, and` the bottom edge of said shutter being above said lower opening in said channel member when in raised position.

2. An interviewer for doors having an aperture therein comprising a hollow channel member comprising a semi-cylinder vertically mounted on said door and secured to the inner side of said door over said aperture, said channel member having an upper opening and a lower opening, said upper opening registering with said aperture in said door for looking through said door, said lower opening being in voice communication with said aperture in said door through said hollow channel member, a semi-cylindrical shutter member slidably mounted in said channel member for normally closing said openings therein, said shutter member having an opening adapted to register with said upper opening in said channel member when said shutter is raised and the bottom edge of said shutter being above said lower opening in said channel member when in raised position, and means for raising said shutter.

FRANK GEORG TAPPE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 593,160 Jones Nov. 2, 1897 1,852,253 Metz Apr. 5, 1932 2,045,424 Tracy June 23, 1936 2,250,059 Farney July 22, 1941 

